Becoming Undone
by Kymwrites
Summary: Ahsha finds herself trapped in an elevator with Derek Roman when the power goes out at the Devil's Arena before the big game. This story is based off of Hit the Floor's "Lights Out" episode, Season 1. It is told from Ahsha's point of view.
1. Chapter 1

This is my first time writing FanFiction. I decided to write my first fanfiction piece on my new favorite show "Hit the Floor." I recently stumbled across this show and realized they were showing a marathon of Season 1. It was so juicy and has all of my favorite elements (dancing, suspense, romance, comedy) that I ended up watching the entire season in one day. I chose HTF as my first fanfic because I became so engrossed with Ahsha's and Derek's character and their storyline. My story focuses on the "Lights Out" episode from Season 1 when Ahsha gets trapped in an elevator with Derek, which is my all-time favorite episode from Season 1. They have so much chemistry, and although I didn't want her with him in the beginning, I started shipping them shortly after this episode. They're my new favorite couple, and hopefully I can write more about them from Derek's point of view as well, especially since I don't see a lot of fanfiction for this show.

I'd love to hear your thoughts and feedback. Hope you enjoy!

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Hit the Floor. No copyright infringement intended. I am just a huge fan who wanted to write fanfiction centered around my favorite couple. James LaRosa is the creator of this fabulous show and is doing a fantastic job of giving the fans (and shippers) what we want.

* * *

**Becoming Undone**

I took a deep breath to calm down my nerves as I sat in my car replaying the fight I had this morning with German. Maybe I went too far when I accused German of treating me like a whore, but the thought of him spending $5,000 of his savings on a bracelet to compete with a millionaire ball player made my head hurt. After almost four years together, he should know that another man could never buy my love. Still, I felt bad about our fight and hated how things went down between us.

I reached into my pocket to see if he texted me but I couldn't find my cell phone. After frantically searching every area of my car, I realized I had left it on the counter and forgot to grab it before I stormed out. I leaned back against the seat and closed my eyes. I needed to get my mind clear before practice. When did my life get so complicated?

The sound of a car alarm snapped me out of my trance. The clock on the dashboard told me I had less than ten minutes to get to practice, so I threw on my jacket and made a dash for it. I couldn't afford walk into practice late and have the wrath of Jelena raining down hail and making my day any worse, which seemed pretty much impossible at this point.

I sprinted toward the elevators in the lobby, relieved to see that there was one on the way up and nobody else waiting around to get on. I managed to slide through the elevator doors just as they were closing. A decision I immediately regretted as soon as the doors shut and I turned around and locked eyes with Derek Roman, the last person I wanted to see.

I crossed my arms over my chest and rolled my eyes, reminding myself that it was a short elevator ride to the seventh floor.

Derek leaned against the wall with his hands stuffed in his pockets. He narrowed his dark brown eyes at me. "What's wrong with you? Have a fight with your boyfriend?"

I sighed and rolled my eyes harder this time. "You're the last person I'm talking relationship problems with."

His raised his eyebrow, his signature smirk growing wider. "Oh, so there are problems?"

I didn't know what bothered me more—the fact that I had slipped up and admitted that German and I were having problems or that Derek seemed to already know and found the situation amusing.

I bit my lip to refrain myself from telling him to wipe that stupid smirk off of his face. Derek had a way of getting under my skin unlike anyone else, and I hated that he knew that. I would bet money that he enjoyed it too.

"What? Are you giving me the silent treatment now?"

After my crazy morning, I realized I didn't have the energy to deal with Derek today. As I moved closer to the button panel to get off on the next floor, the lights flickered and shut off as the elevator came to a screeching halt. I felt myself beginning to panic. I couldn't afford to miss rehearsal, and I didn't have my phone to let anyone know my whereabouts. My day was going from bad to worse in a downhill spiral that I had no control over. And to make matters worse, I was stuck against my will with the one person who had caused the drama between me and German this morning.

I placed my hands on my head and groaned. "Please tell me this is a joke. I feel like I'm in a nightmare."

"I thought being stuck with Derek Roman in an elevator was most women's fantasy."

I pressed the emergency button at least ten times before giving up.

"Once you're done getting off on yourself, maybe you can help me figure out a way to get out of here."

"Not working?"

I glared at him. "No, it was. I just had the quietest conversation ever."

He shrugged. "Hey, don't take your fight with your big baller boyfriend out on me."

"We did not have a fight," I snapped.

The corners of his mouth turned up when he looked at me. "It was about the dance, huh?"

I sighed, not knowing how much longer I could ignore his sarcastic comments. I reached in my pocket as if my phone would magically appear. I hated being stuck somewhere without it.

"Ugh. I left home so fast, I left my phone there."

"Mmmm. You stormed out because of the fight."

"Where's your phone?"

"I left it in my locker."

I looked up at the ceiling. "I wonder if there is a way to get out of here. Maybe I can climb out."

Derek laughed. "Calm down Laura Croft. They can't have a game without me. They'll find us."

"Well what are we supposed to do we do until then?"

"Be patient and wait. Looks like it's just a blackout. The lights and elevator will be back on and running soon. Nothing's going to happen to you with me here. You're safe."

A few seconds of silence passed before Derek looked over at me and winked. "He was crazy jealous, wasn't he?"

I turned away from him and let out a scream, trying hard to block out his laughter in the background. I hated that he knew about my fight with German without me having to tell him. I hated how he knew when something was wrong with me. And I especially hated how his sudden act of philanthropy to give $100,000 to dance with me had sparked so much drama in my relationship with German.

I was just starting to hate being around Derek. Period.

I jumped when I felt his hand on my shoulder.

"Look Ahsha, I'm just trying to have a little fun. Chill out."

I turned around to face him. "Well if you haven't noticed or got the memo, I'm just not in the mood today."

"Are you ever?" He unzipped his hoodie and threw it on the floor, revealing a black wife beater that showed off muscles that made women swarm around him like thirsty bees looking for honey. I was far from thirsty. Derek tried to impress me with that body on the first day we met but it got him nowhere. Sure, he had a nice body and was really attractive, but Derek's body, money, fancy cars and gigantic house never impressed me. I really believed that his cockiness was just a front to mask his insecurities. Nobody could really be that arrogant naturally.

"Relax." He slid down to the floor, his eyes still on me. "You know what they say. Santa Annas are baby makers."

"Whatever," I mumbled, as I sat on the floor next to him. The heat was starting to get to me. I could feel the sweat forming on the back of my neck. I regretted throwing on my black sweatpants this morning, but at least I wore the perfect shirt for the heat. I ignored Derek's stare as he watched me pull off my hoodie, which revealed my dancer's crop top. I placed my hoodie on the floor on top of his.

"It's been almost one hundred years. I thought someone would be looking for you by now. I thought you were important."

"Oh trust me. Someone's looking hard."

"I'm not talking about one of your groupies."

He laughed. "Why do you always have to go there?"

I shrugged. "Why not? Do you not notice who you're always around? You make it so easy."

He stopped laughing and looked at me. "What I said earlier? About this being like a dream? It's okay. You can admit it. As you can see, no one's here but us." He lowered his voice. "I won't tell anyone."

I ignored him and looked at the elevator door.

"Okay well I'll admit it. I think about you. I thought about-"

A vibrating sound made him stop mid-sentence.

"What's that?" I asked.

I stared at Derek in disbelief as he reached into his pocket and pulled out his cellphone, the same one he had just lied to me about leaving in his locker. I heard a female's voice from the other end as Derek started defending himself and answering questions about his whereabouts. Listening to him justifying his behavior to one of his many whores that he flaunted around town disgusted me. Sure he had no problem lying to me about not having his phone when I wanted to call for help but he had the audacity to answer it for some chick he probably just met the night before.

I took a deep breath and tried to block out his conversation, but the longer he talked, the angrier I became. It was bad enough that I left my phone at home, but now I had to listen to Derek have a heated discussion with one of his groupies. I wasn't up for it. I reached over and grabbed the phone out of his hand and ended the call.

"What the hell? You said you left your phone in your locker."

Derek's eyes widened. "That doesn't give you the right to hang up on my calls."

"No, it does give me the right because I'm not about to sit here and listen to you have a dumb fight with some dumb girl."

"That wasn't some dumb girl. That was my mother."

"Oh." I looked down at my hands, feeling only slightly bad that I hung up on his mom. But I was still upset that he lied to me about not having his phone. It's like he wanted to use this situation to his advantage to keep me to himself.

"So why would you lie about not having your phone? What did you think? That I was going to just do you right here in the elevator?"

I stood up and tried to move as far away from him as possible, but he jumped up and followed me.

"Fine. You know what Ahsha? Yea, I want you. So just deal with it."

I threw his phone on the floor. "There. I dealt with it."

Derek looked at his phone and then back at me in disbelief several times before moving. He picked up his cracked phone and glared at me.

"Do you know how many numbers I had on this phone?"

"I'm sure your phone has herpes."

He sighed as he put his phone in his back pocket. If I wasn't so irritated, I would have found his pouting amusing. "Don't be a million dollar baby. You get everything you want. You won't die without your phone."

"I may be a million dollar baby that gets everything I want, but you're a dancer that doesn't know how to have fun."

"Says who?"

"Says me. Look every time I see you, you're stressed the hell out."

"And every time I see you, you're pretending to be someone you're not."

He folded his arms across his chest. "You don't even know what you're talking about."

I cleared my throat and rubbed my hands together. "Well _hello _ladies. I'm a fan of a _whole _lot of things. You want me to dance, I'll dance for you," I mimicked, performing my best Derek Roman impersonation of all the ridiculous pickup lines I've heard since I ran into him at the Devil Girl's tryout a few months ago. "You and your stupid pickup lines, your stupid grand entrances, your dollar store hookers hanging on each of your stupid arms, your ridiculous oil paintings and your popping bottles…it's all to cover your insecurities. Insecurities that you can't hide from when you walk off this elevator and go home to your great, big stupid empty house."

By the time I finished reading Derek, his confident smirk had turned into a frown and he was looking down at the floor in silence. I suddenly felt bad for mostly everything I said, even though I knew there was some truth to it. And judging by his reaction, I was right. Derek wasn't used to people telling him the truth. Hard to do when you constantly surround yourself around "yes" men. Or gold diggers in his case.

"Look Derek, I didn't…I really didn't mean to…"

He held up his hand to silence my stammering apology. When he finally looked at me again, his face was still twisted up in a frown.

Bingo. It looked like I had hit a sore spot. I probably should have let it go, but I couldn't. This was Derek without his arrogant façade, and I didn't know when, and if, I'd ever see it again.

"The whole no pictures of your family in your house? When I asked you, you told me whatever. You said you and your mom were cool. Were you lying?"

He shook his head. "Don't."

"You were just arguing with her."

"Ahsha…" He scratched the back of his head, clearly showing he was uncomfortable. His firm tone almost made me stop pressing the issue but I couldn't stop, even though I felt like I just stepped into an area that was off-limits.

"We're stuck on an elevator. Why not talk about it?"

"Because… I…. don't…. want… to."

"Well I do. Be honest for once in your life. Just try it."

"You're trying to be captain save-a-hoe, but I'm not some dude you need to save," he snapped, the words tumbling out of his mouth at a rapid speed as he moved closer to me. "I'm a dude you want to have sex with but you can't handle it."

I took a step back. "I do not."

"Look, _you_ be honest," he yelled, taking another step toward me. "Admit it. Admit that you want me. You've wanted me from the minute you saw me just like I wanted you."

I scowled at his arrogance. "Your ego is so unreal. Your head is so far up your…"

Before I could finish my rant, Derek grabbed my face and pressed his lips hungrily against my mouth. I closed my eyes, frozen in a state of shock while his soft lips caressed mine.

My eyes flew open once the shock wore off and reality set it and reminded me that Derek Roman's lips were touching mine. I pushed him away and wiped my mouth off with my hand, making sure he saw the disgusted look on my face.

I suddenly felt sick to my stomach. I reached down to grab my hoodie and used it to wipe off my forehead. I looked up to find Derek's eyes all over me. His intense stare made me want to look away, yet I couldn't.

"My life may be a show. I may have ridiculous oil paintings and insecurities. But you want me."

I challenged his gaze. "I never said that."

Derek leaned in closer to me, his signature smirk slowly returning. "You just did."

Before I could respond, the lights came on and the elevator started moving again.

We stared at each other for what felt like an eternity before the elevator chime went off. As soon as the doors opened, I ran out of the elevator and down the hall. It didn't even matter that I almost knocked over Jelena along the way. I just needed to get as far away from Derek Roman as possible.

I ducked into the first bathroom I saw and splashed cold water on my face to cool off. I felt disgusted and angry as I examined my face in the mirror. I grabbed a paper towel and wiped off my mouth again. And again. But a part of me knew that no matter how many times I tried to wipe away the kiss, I would still be able to taste and feel Derek's lips on mine. And even though _Derek_ had kissed _me_ and I had stopped it, what had happened in the elevator could never be undone.

I took a deep breath and closed my eyes to clear my thoughts. I had to pull it together. I had a game in a few hours. And I would have to eventually go home and face German tonight. I couldn't let Jelena or German know that anything was wrong.

I opened my eyes and stared at my reflection in the mirror.

"Come on, Ahsha. Get it together," I said out loud.

I took another deep breath. As much as I wanted to be left alone, I knew I couldn't hide in the bathroom forever.

Besides, it was almost showtime.


	2. Chapter 2 -Ahsha

**I decided to continue my story of Ahsha and Derek from Season 1. Here's a description of what's to come in the next few chapters. **

**Ahsha_ tries to put the elevator incident with Derek behind her, but when she hears Derek is in trouble, she makes a decision that could jeopardize her relationship with German. _**

**_Derek finds himself dealing with the pressures of basketball life but an unexpected encounter with Ahsha makes him see things clearly. _**

* * *

_**Ahsha**_

I stepped out of the shower, eagerly waiting for German to walk through the door. With the crazy tension between us lately, I just wanted things to return back to normal. I was willing to do whatever it took to get us there, and I was sure that my new idea would pull us out of the bad place that we've been in lately.

I grabbed my towel and flung open the bathroom door when I heard footsteps in the living room. German tossed his duffel bag on the couch and looked over at me with a smile.

"How's my sexy gym teacher?"

"Overworked and underpaid." German reached out his hands toward me. I walked over to him and pulled him close.

"You smell so good," he said, pulling me closer to him. He nuzzled his face into the nook of my neck and inhaled. I missed these moments so much lately.

I pulled away and looked up at him. "So babe," I said, failing miserably at containing my smile, "I think it's time for us to expand."

He raised his eyebrows. "I'm all for having a German junior running around here, but now is not the right time."

I playfully punched his arm. "No German, I'm talking about expanding our space. Let's get a bigger place. We have two incomes now, we deserve something amazing."

"Why all of a sudden? I thought you were cool with staying here."

"I don't know. Maybe because the shower sounds like an old woman moaning. Or maybe because we can figure skate on the grease pool that's our parking lot." I bit my bottom lip and gave him a seductive look as I loosened my towel. "Or maybe I just want extra space to seduce my sexy boyfriend."

He kissed my cheek. "I do like the sound of that. Well I will make some appointments to see some places tomorrow, so we can have extra space for your carnival of seduction."

"Cool. So how about after my practice tomorrow, we look at some places during the day and then go out to dinner? I'll make a dinner reservation at the one Italian place you like. Make a whole date out of it."

He picked me up and twirled me around. "Mmm….I don't know what's gotten into you, but I like it."

Watching German's face light up confirmed that things were improving between us. German returned the bracelet a week ago after he bumped into Kyle at the Devils arena and got her feedback on the situation. She flat out told him that he pulled a Derek move on a gym teacher's salary, advice that he needed to hear to see the situation from my point of view.

Ironically, German's conversation with Kyle happened while I was stuck in the elevator with Derek during the blackout. The weight on my shoulders only got heavier when I returned home that night and found German waiting up for me to apologize. As much as I wanted to, I couldn't bring myself to tell him that Derek had kissed me during the blackout. I didn't even tell German that we were stuck in the elevator together. I just prayed that my decision to leave out that minor detail wouldn't come back to haunt me.

"Ahsha, you okay?"

I looked at him. "Yea, why?"

"You zoned out for a minute."

"I'm just thinking about the different areas we can look at tomorrow," I lied. I pointed to the towel on top of my head. "Now there is a soul train 'fro brewing on top of my head that I need to take care of before practice."

I gave him a passionate kiss on the lips. Even though I walked away feeling peaceful that we were in a good place again, I still couldn't silence the question in the back of my mind, the one that kept haunting me ever since my life as a Devil Girl and German's girlfriend kept colliding.

_How long would we be okay?  
_

* * *

After day two of another brutal rehearsal, I stretched out my legs in the locker room to recuperate, making a mental note to schedule a massage appointment for the weekend. Today's rehearsal proved that Jelena had it out for me and used every opportunity to make my life a living hell. Her latest plan to sabotage my calendar photo shoot had backfired. Olivia pulled me to the side after practice and told me that people everywhere were talking about my photos. Jelena didn't like to share the spotlight with another Devil Girl, especially not with a newbie like myself, so now she was on a warpath. I was getting really tired of being her personal punching bag.

My thoughts about Jelena vanished when I overheard Danielle and Missy mention Derek's name. I leaned closer in their direction to listen in on their conversation, as they huddled over Danielle's iPad to read the latest online gossip about the Devils.

"He didn't just miss one game. He didn't even get on the plane. His agent said he caught some sudden bug. People are like, hell no."

I tried to listen in silence, but after eavesdropping for a few minutes, I had to interrupt.

"Well maybe he's really sick."

They both turned around and looked at me like I had spoken in a foreign language. "Um, players can drive drunk through an orphanage, but if you miss a game, that's bad," Missy said.

"It wasn't even the flu Derek had, it was a breakdown," Danielle chimed in.

Missy's eyes widened. "Says who?"

"Says me. Come on Missy, you know it's true. Dude's a hot funky mess. His mom is a piece of work. He doesn't even know his dad..."

"Okay, well has anyone even gone to check on Derek?" I asked, tired of listening to them gossip about him.

Missy gave me a blank look. "There's no one here. Everyone's away."

"Well you guys are here and you seem interested."

They shrugged and walked off, clearly showing they had no concern about Derek's condition. They just wanted to speculate about the rumors.

I kept replaying their comments about Derek as I walked to my car. What if they were right? What if it was more than a stomach bug and Derek was really in a bad place? He seemed agitated when I brought up his family in the elevator. I wonder if they were around. But judging from Danielle's comment, who knows if they even cared enough to check up on him.

I glanced at the time on the dashboard as I took the long route home. I had exactly three hours before I had to meet German to look at apartments before our dinner reservation. I turned up the radio but the loud music didn't drown out the rumors I just heard about Derek so I shut it off and drove in silence, forcing myself to listen to my internal dialogue instead. The logical side told me to keep driving east toward German's place. Being around Derek never seemed to have a good outcome for me. The last time we saw each other in the elevator, things had gotten ugly and heated between us. But despite the kiss and the mean things we said to each other last week, my compassionate side was genuinely concerned about him as a friend.

I drummed my fingers on the steering wheel at the red light, my mind contemplating and unsure of the direction to take. As soon as the light turned green, I made a U-turn and headed toward Derek's house before my logical side talked me out of it.


	3. Chapter 3- Derek

**Derek**

Derek sat on the edge of his bed in a daze as he stared out the window, his mind focused on one unsettling thought.

_Everyone he knew always left him._

He first discovered this harsh reality when he watched his mother pack her suitcase and walk out of their home one week before his seventh birthday, leaving him with his grandmother. Mary Roman was just the first of many to walk out of his life. Not to mention his father who left before he was even born. And now the one person who normally had his back was leaving at a crucial moment in his career.

Losing Terrance wasn't just about losing a teammate. It was about loyalty and brotherhood. The two of them had been through a lot together over the years. Of course they never saw eye to eye on everything, but he respected Terrance and looked up to him like a brother, which is why Terrance's decision to leave the Devils to play for another team was such a low blow. And to make matters worse, Terrance was leaving the team because of him.

Terrance was constantly on top of him this season about his personal life. _Make sure your on time today Derek. How many drinks have you had tonight man? You know we have a game tomorrow. When are going to settle down and throw in your player card? Don't let these groupies screw your career up. _Derek knew about his reputation for partying and being a ladies man, but he never slacked off on the court because of his lifestyle. But Terrance thought that Derek's behavior could jeopardize their chance at getting the championship ring, and winning their last game against Miami by only two points didn't boost Terrance's confidence that the Devils would make it to the playoffs. Derek played to win, so it didn't matter to him if they won by two points or twenty. He thought Terrance's decision to abandon the team was selfish, especially when they had a good chance at winning this season.

Derek looked at the clock on the wall. The team flew out last night and would play against Indiana in a few hours without him. Derek had never missed a game in his entire career, no matter how tired or hung over he was from partying. He never let his personal life affect him on the court. But now the line between his professional and personal life was blurring together. He was losing a friend and his best chance at getting that ring, which would be a lot harder without Terrance. People referred to them as the dynamic duo for a reason.

Times like these made him realize that he really had no one in his corner. He had a house full of people downstairs who didn't care about his troubles, and his family was even worse. They only called when they needed a check. He hadn't heard from Mary in almost a month, but like clockwork, he knew his mother would call him next week to get her monthly check. Payday.

A soft knock at the door interrupted his thoughts. He rolled over and waited for the person to go away, but the knocking continued. He dragged himself out of bed and opened up the door to find Ahsha on the other side, her big brown doe-shaped eyes looking up at him with concern. He stared at her for a moment in silence. Even in sweatpants and a tank top, she looked absolutely stunning. But even her beauty couldn't erase the frown etched on his face or get him excited that she was standing outside of his bedroom door.

"Derek, what's going on with you? Are you okay? I heard some things at practice and just wanted to check in on you."

He let out a deep sigh. So word had already got out that he was going through something. He knew it was just a matter of time since he never missed a game. He could only imagine the rumors that were circulating around by now. _Derek Roman just had a nervous breakdown. Derek Roman is MIA. Derek Roman just messed up any chances of the Devils winning their first championship._

"Derek," she said gently, snapping him out of his trance, "are you alright?"

He stepped into the hallway, his frown growing deeper. "You should go," he said, pointing to the stairs.

She narrowed her eyes in confusion. "Wait, what?"

"Just leave Ahsha. Like everybody else."

She opened up her mouth to speak, but he turned around and walked back into his room before she could respond, letting the door close behind him. He leaned back against the door and let out another sigh. He hated being rude to her, but she didn't need to see him in this condition. A few minutes passed before he heard her footsteps recede slowly down the hall. A part of him wanted to open the door and call after her but he just couldn't bring himself to do it. Whoever said misery loves company lied, he thought.

His eyes landed on the new Devil Girls calendar on his nightstand. He picked it up and turned to February, admiring Ahsha's beautiful face and body that now graced the page of his new favorite month. He stretched out on his bed and thought about how Ahsha accidentally wandered into his bedroom a few weeks ago during the Devil Girls calendar shoot at his home. She was the only woman who looked beyond the dozens of trophies and awards lined along his shelf and noticed the important part of his life that was really missing—evidence that he had people in his life who actually cared. When she pointed out his lack of family photos, he brushed it off.

_No mother and son pictures? I thought all ball players loved their mamas._

_Nothing says I love you like a check_, he'd told her with a smile. But even through his smile he sensed that Ahsha had spotted a glimpse of his pain. He felt like she was the only one who could see right through him without really trying.

Derek had tons of women at his call 24/7, but Ahsha stayed on his mind. As much as he wanted to forget about what happened, he couldn't stop thinking about her since he kissed her in the elevator. She constantly made it a point to remind him that she was in a relationship, but he wondered what she really thought about him. He was pulled to her since he first laid eyes on her during the Devil Girls tryouts, and he refused to believe the attraction was one-sided. He knew Ahsha felt the magnetic chemistry between them. Despite what she probably thought, it wasn't just about sex for him. Yes he wanted her but his attraction for her went beyond physical. And it only intensified with every encounter they had.

He opened his eyes to find his agent Jesse peering over him. He pointed to the calendar in Derek's hand.

"Isn't that the same girl I just saw in the hallway?"

Derek sat up and tossed the calendar across his bed. "Is she gone?"

Jesse scratched his head as he paced the floor. "I think so. Who cares? We've got bigger problems to worry about."

"What did Oscar say? Is he cool?"

He stopped pacing and looked at Derek. "Geesh Derek, you know Oscar isn't happy about you missing a game. You know how he is. I told him you were puking, bedridden and glued to the toilet in no condition to play."

"So I'm assuming he bought it."

Jesse shrugged. "Yea, I think so. I hope so for your sake. Actually for the both of us. I can't let Oscar find out that I'm lying about you being bedridden when you're perfectly fine."

Derek was far from fine but now wasn't the time to debate technicalities. He wasn't really too concerned about being reprimanded by Oscar. If anyone could convince Oscar to let his star players off the hook, it was Jesse. He was one of the best agents in the field.

"I suggest you make an appearance at the movie premiere tomorrow night if you want to squash all of those rumors about you having a breakdown. Show Oscar it isn't true so he won't suspect anything." He lowered his voice. "Derek, I know you're upset about Terrance, I hate the idea of him leaving just as much as you, but Oscar won't empathize with that as a reason to miss a game."

Derek nodded, though he had no intentions of showing up at the premiere, even though both him and Terrance had a cameo in the upcoming film and Oscar wanted the Devil Girls and a few of the players there to show their support.

"Good looking out Jesse. That's why I pay you the big bucks," he said. "Now what are we going to do about Terrance."

"Well it looks like he's definitely leaving. We need to start preparing now."

Trade talk made it a reality for Derek. He spent the next hour with Jesse discussing possible replacements for Terrance. They exhausted every possibility, and in Derek's eyes, even the best players weren't good enough.

They called it quits for the night after narrowing down their options to three replacements. As soon as Jesse left, Derek realized he needed a drink. Something strong to make him numb. He started to head toward the bar until he heard noises coming from the kitchen.

What the hell is Gwen still doing here, he thought. He gave her the week off to visit her family. The substitute cleaning woman wasn't scheduled until tomorrow morning.

Derek walked into the kitchen to find Ahsha holding a broom in her hand, sweeping up pieces of broken glass and trash others had left behind. He watched her for a few minutes from the doorway. The sight of her warmed him. She didn't have to come. And he couldn't believe she stayed, especially after he told her to leave.

He cleared his throat. She jumped and turned around, dropping the broom.

"Hi," he said, as if this was the first time he saw her today.

"Hi." She pushed back the hair on her face. "You scared me. How long were you standing there?"

He shrugged. "Long enough to see you're still here."

They held each other's gaze, both of them waiting for the other one to speak.

"So was the kiss that good?"

She rolled her eyes. "I'm not here because of the kiss. I'm here because I'm a human being."

He looked around, noticing the quietness for the first time.

"Where did everybody else go?"

She shrugged. "I don't know. I guess they went home or on the set of some rap video where they belonged."

He put his hands on the back of his head.

"What's going on with you?" she demanded. "You guys were locked away in that room like I don't know what."

"Trade talk."

Her eyes widened. "What? Are you…are you leaving L.A?"

He thought he saw disappointment flash briefly across her face. Was she disturbed at the thought of him moving elsewhere? The possibility made him hopeful.

"No, not me. Terrance. Maybe. We were going over options of who could replace him. Russell Westbrook, Rondo, Tony Parker…"

"Wow, this is huge. What would the Devils be without Terrance? I mean you and Terrance," she corrected herself. "You guys are the team."

He shook his head in disgust. "He got tired of my crap. Said he wanted to go and try to win the championship someplace else. And play with all new teammates. It wouldn't be the first time I screwed up and it won't be the last."

She nodded. "Or you could look at this differently. It's all on you now. Sink or swim."

"So what…no parties, hooch?" He paused and gave her a sly smile. "Elevators?"

"Look everybody knows Derek Roman can give a good time. Not everybody knows if he can get his act together and prove he's not just a screw up."

He stared at Ahsha, admiring her honesty with him. Few people in his circle ever told him what he needed to hear, especially if it didn't benefit them. He looked down at the ground and thought about it. Could he really get his act together and change? Did she really have that much faith in him? He wasn't sure he had that much faith in himself.

"Hey, you got this," she said softly, reading his thoughts. "You can do this Derek. You just have to put in the effort. Remember what you told me the day of the calendar shoot when I was terrified of taking the pictures as Ms. February? You told me to get into my zone and just go. I'm going to need you to do the same. Just go. Just do what you need to do."

He looked at her and genuinely smiled for the first time in 48 hours. Just being around her for a few minutes made him feel better. It felt easy. He started feeling like his old self again, his misery and coldness slowly melting away. She awakened something in him by just showing up and being there during one of the worst moments in his career. For the first time in a long time, Derek felt like he wasn't alone.

He gave her a high five. "Thanks for the pep talk coach."

"Anytime."

"Now can you do me a favor and create your own pep talk next time. How can I steal from you if you're recycling my words of encouragement?"

She playfully punched his arm before she sat down at the table and helped herself to a bowl of chips and guacamole.

"You hungry?" He opened up the refrigerator and tossed her a bottle of water. "It's almost dinnertime and Gwen is off today but I can whip you up something real quick. I'm pretty handy in other places around the house too." He turned around and winked at her. "Outside of the bedroom of course."

She jumped up from the table, almost knocking over her water.

"Relax, it was a joke. And you don't have to eat my cooking. We can order takeout. I got a better idea" he said, closing the refrigerator door, "let me take you out to dinner. Any place you want to go. Your treat, and by the looks of it, you're hungry."

"No, that's not it. I lost track of time. I have dinner plans…"

He sighed. "Let me guess. With your big baller?"

"Yes Derek. With German, my boyfriend."

"Okay. I'll take a rain check."

She looked up at him and smiled, wiping the crumbs off of the table.

"Sorry," she said, her mouth full of chips. "I made a mess over here."

He grabbed a napkin and walked over to her.

"No worries. That's why I have cleaning people. For messy eaters like you." He pointed to the corner of her mouth. "You still got some guacamole."

She placed her hand over her mouth and wiped it off, accidentally smearing it across her upper lip. "I need a mirror. As conceited as you are, I thought you'd have them on the ceilings."

He laughed. "Relax. You just made it worse. Let me get it for you."

Before she could object, he removed her hand and gently brushed off the corners of her mouth with the napkin. He made the mistake of looking at her lips for a second too long. He instantly remembered how soft they felt against his mouth. Still holding the napkin, he slowly traced the outline of her upper lip. It took every ounce of restraint not to kiss her. He waited for the urge to pass but it only grew stronger.

_Focus Derek._

As much as he wanted her to stay, maybe leaving was for the best. The last time he kissed her she stormed out and avoided him. He didn't want to risk that again, so he kept his composure out of respect. But if she didn't leave now, he didn't think he could keep his hands to himself. There was that undeniable electricity surging through him again, its power sparking something between them. He took a step back before it consumed them both.

"Looks like you better go," he whispered, his eyes still fixated on her lips.

She nodded, slowly inching away from him. "Yea, I should get going. I-I mean I needed to be home an hour ago," she stammered. "We have these dinner plans and I'm already late for our apartment hunting appointment."

They both stood there, neither of them moving. Ahsha looked at the clock and then at the floor, refusing to make eye contact with him.

"I'm going to head out."

"Let me walk you to your car."

"No need. I know how to get out. And you already showed me to the door once today."

"Yea, about that…I was having a moment."

"Yea I got that memo. See you." She whirled around and headed off down the hall in the opposite direction of the front door.

"Hey, you're going the wrong way." He pointed down the hall. "This is where you exit. I know you're Ms. Independent but let me walk you out."

She hesitated for a moment and then followed his lead. They walked in silence. He glanced in her direction. She still avoided making eye contact with him. He could already feel her putting up a wall between them. Clearly, the moment had affected them both. He knew she felt it, but he didn't want the electricity between them to scare her off. He needed her in his life as a friend, if nothing more. He had to diffuse the heat to make her feel comfortable again.

"You good Ahsha?"

"I'm fine."

"A little flustered maybe?"

"Hardly."

"What about hot and bothered?"

"Only bothered. You're extremely annoying."

"Quite the insult coming from someone who needs to wear a bib."

She looked at him and let out a hearty laugh. He knew a little banter would ease the tension.

Derek opened up the front door and watched her walk to her car.

"Hey Ahsha," he yelled out.

She turned around. He wanted to tell her thank you. He wanted to tell her to cancel her dinner plans with German and have dinner with him instead. He just wanted to spend time with the one person who could see right through him. No need for a façade.

But he just winked instead. "Make sure you walk super slow for me. I got the full view from right here."

She rolled her eyes and turned back around. "Even in a state of depression, you never change."

"At least I'm consistent. Thank you."

"Who said it was a compliment?" she yelled as she got into her car. She drove off before he could respond.

Derek went back inside and closed the door. Ahsha was right. People needed to see that Derek Roman was not just a screw up. He had his work cut out for him. And thanks to Ahsha, he knew just where to start.


End file.
